Several NATO members are holding off on their decision regarding Ukraine’s request to join the international military coalition until U.S. President-elect Donald Trump assumes office in January, a senior member of Latvia’s government told Reuters on Tuesday.
“In principle, we as political leaders have agreed that Ukraine will be a member,” Foreign Minister Baiba Braže said during an interview at the group’s headquarters in Brussels. She went on to explain, “The issue is what conditions when, and obviously that is where the alliance has to come together. All allies, currently, everybody is waiting for the new U.S. administration to start working, so I think that is one aspect that is said or unsaid, but it's a reality.”
Braže’s comments follow a years-long effort by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to seek formal NATO membership, including his solicitation for an invitation at this week’s conference.
Zelensky’s initiatives have been met with considerable apprehension from participating states, as the collective defense clause under Article 5 of the 75-year-old treaty would automatically place all 32 signatories in a state of war with Russia at the moment of Kiev’s affiliation.
In addition to the security concerns raised by the pact’s European constituents, there are worries that a Trump White House may reject a Ukrainian partnership, given his past criticisms of the billions of dollars the U.S. has allocated to support the besieged country’s armed forces.
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